Saturday, July 16, 2011

Workers of Egypt: Strike! Occupy! Bring revolution to victory!

This is an awesome leaflet from a section of the Egyptian left on how to drive forward the revolution. It deserves wide distribution and is a taste of the ferment that is going on in Egypt at the moment. From here in Canada it can be hard to really understand the significance of what is going in Egypt. Egypt is the central Arab pillar of US imperialism. It is the largest Arab country, with the largest Arab working class. It's the biggest potential threat to Israel's genocidal project against the Palestinians. That is the reason that Egypt receives over $2 billion in US military aid every year - to buy of the Egyptian ruling class and aid in suppressing the Arab population. The loss of that ally would deal a massive blow to US imperialism and would spread hope far beyond the border of Egypt itself. Right across the Mediterranean, the workers of southern Europe are battling austerity with strikes, demonstrations, sit-ins and riots. Already the revolution has inspired a sit-in movement in Spain and Egyptian flags have been seen on protests in Greece. It's impossible to underestimate the world historic importance of a victory by the working class in Egypt. They deserve our solidarity as we face our own battles against the Rob Fords, Dalton McGuintys and Stephen Harpers of Canada.

Demonstrations, protests and occupations played a key role in igniting and continuing our revolution. On their own, these tactics will not bring victory in the battle. You have the power to win this fight and finish off the regime, not only by participating in the demonstrations, but by organising strikes in the workplaces, companies and factories and supporting the occupations in the squares on Fridays.

After the fall of Hosni Mubarak, some political forces thought the battle was won. They tried to dismiss the social demands of the revolution and proceeded to reorder the country and share out the spoils.

You continued the revolution with your occupations and strikes. You refused to cut short the revolution for the sake of changing a few faces at the top. You stood firm in the face of a media campaign of disinformation which belittled your struggle as narrow ‘sectional’ demands. You organised occupation after occupation, which neither arrests nor military rule could break. You reminded the country that the revolution is a revolution for freedom, social justice and human dignity.

The regime is able to put up with demonstrations and occupations in the squares, even when they go on for days and weeks. They are trying to ignore them now as if they had no effect.

But hit the regime’s economic interests and it will break. Threaten the funds in its bank vaults and safes and those of its allies.

You are able to bring the revolution to victory. The regime could not bear to keep Mubarak in power for more than two days after your strikes of 9, 10, 11 February. Today, your strikes and occupations can win the battle for the revolutionaries and the families of the martyrs. And you are also revolutionaries and have lost martyrs. Those who lost their children testify that they died for freedom, social justice and human dignity. Their blood was not spilt in vain.

If you use the strike weapon to stop the railways and public transport system, close the airports and the big factories, the regime can crack within hours.

Through your struggle the revolution will be victorious. Your occupations will bring the killers to justice. Your strikes will bring down the regime of exploitation, repression and corruption.

Workers of Egypt! In the name of Egypt’s revolutionary youth and the blood of the martyrs join the ranks of the revolution and bring it to victory!

Glory to the martyrs!
Victory to the revolution!
Power to the people!

The Revolutionary Socialists
Democratic Workers’ Party (under construction)
Popular Democratic Movement for Change
14 July 2011